Sudan 2007
Rebuilding, Restoring, Renewing – Flame In Malakal
Imagine a sprawling city on the banks of the White Nile. A city that has long been abandoned by the international community. A city that has been at the very forefront of the conflict between Christianity and Islam for 50 years. A city cut off from the outside world by minefields. This is Malakal, in Southern Sudan. Late in November, the Flame team of nine flew in from Nairobi.
Initial impressions were stark. The infrastructure of the city lay in ruins. There was only occasional electricity and no running water or sanitation. Rubbish was everywhere. The primary means of getting about was by donkey. The mud-and-wattle church still sported bullet holes from recent fighting. There was little indication of NGO activity.
The Bishop had kindly made his new office available for us, along with part of a dispensary. We appreciated some brand new ‘long drops’. Showers involved a bucket of Nile water taken in a ramshackle structure made of bamboo. There was little sleep to be had at night until we got used to the heat and the noise of braying donkeys and wailing imams in the nearby mosque.
There were about 80 delegates on the Healing Conference, mainly church leaders from a wide variety of denominations and ethnic backgrounds. In the middle of the extreme deprivation, a verse of hope recurred on several occasions:
‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.’ (Isaiah 61:4)
We became aware of many ‘spiritual land mines’ that God wanted to deal with in the delegates’ lives. The themes of forgiveness and reconciliation came to the fore. The Bishop led the response to the teaching from the front. He boldly proclaimed reconciliation with leaders from other tribes and churches – and even spoke out forgiveness towards the government which had so recently threatened the south with more attacks.
On the middle Sunday, Jan had a God-given opportunity to speak at a police change-of-command ceremony; the incoming and outgoing generals listened for 30 minutes from the front row – along with a Minister of State – as she delivered an impassioned talk on ‘Cleansing the Land’.
The second week began with Trauma Workshops. The stories were heart-breaking. But later on the testimonies spoke of healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. David had spent most of his life in the misery of a refugee camp in Ethiopia. Following the peace agreement, he returned to Malakal with his sick wife. His children remained in the camp because he could not find work. He was desperate; thoughts of suicide had crossed his mind. We talked and prayed and battled with spirits of despair. The very next day he came with a broad smile on his face: he had just been offered a job as a primary school teacher. Miraculous? David certainly thought so!
The final two days were spent in the local Sudan People’s Liberation Army barracks. There was a positive response to the gospel – a good number accepted Jesus as Saviour. Several spoke of healing in their lives.
The trip was environmentally and financially challenging. But spiritually it was hugely rewarding to have played a part in the process of rebuilding, restoring and renewing Malakal in Southern Sudan.